NOV/DEV 2002

FEATURES

One Small Step for Mice
Jason Hoogland explains how mice will be sent into space to test the physiological constraints to a manned Mars mission.

Broadband Link to Mars
A swarm of exploration vehicles are on their way to Mars, but the communications links that will transmit the vast amounts of data collected are interminably slow. Andrew McGrath, Joss Hawthorn and Jeremy Bailey say that lasers may soon become the information superhighway for deep space exploration.

The Ultimate Magnetic Camouflage
Tim Baynes describes a more efficient way of protecting ships and submarines from magnetic-sensing marine mines.

Crane Offers Unique Access to Teeming Life
Peter Pockley returns from a trip above the rainforest canopy of Australia’s greatest biological hotspot.

Underground Movement for Water Banks
Australia is pioneering a new way to store large amounts of water in underground water banks that cleanse as well as hold it. Julian Cribb reports.

Harvesting Foetal Tissue: Public Support Depends on the Source
Jonathan Kelley, Esmail Zanjani and Mariah Evans surveyed the public to determine the level of support for medical and scientific use of foetal tissue.

Against the Tide
Dredging has commenced to reopen the mouth of the Murray River. But with upstream irrigation reducing the Murray to a trickle, Simon Grose questions whether this once-mighty river can hold back the sediment dumped by the Southern Ocean.

The Birth of Cane Farming
Peter Macinnis describes how the discovery of sugar in New Guinea changed the world.

Send in the Sensors
Like airport sniffer dogs, taste testers’ taste buds are highly trained to detect even the most minute trace of unpleasant flavour or odour that could ruin a flavoursome snack. Bianca Nogrady sniffs out the sensory evaluators.

Science, Weapons, Politics: The Ethics, The Hard Choices
Richard Butler reflects on the ethical responsibilities of military scientists and calls for an overhaul of United Nations mechanisms governing weapons inspections.

conScience

Communicate or Perish!
Sue Stocklmayer says scientists must engage more with the public to avert crises of trust.

UPDATE

Seals Seal Australasian Science Prize

Malaria Sequenced

Fish Survives Toxic Copper Concentrations

Black Hole X-Ray Jet

Disease Strikes Pristine Reefs

Baited Videos Reveal the Depths

Old Worms

Desert Waterbirds

Fruit Bats Given the Cold Shower

Solar Eclipse Sweeps Across Australia

CSIRO leaking away

Oil-eating Microorganisms

Beneficial Bacteria Backed

BRIEFS

FedSat Ready

Rain Brings Calves

Killing Prostate Cancer in the Tube

New Genetic Link for Breast Cancer

Mapping Cancerous

Protein

Save Our Sharks

Saving Seconds

Kilowatt Count

Safety in Height

Educational Telescope